Hasta La Motion!

V-Ray 2.0 for 3ds Max BETA program is open to all V-Ray users who have been among the first to upgrade to the new version, customers who own bundle “Three in One”, as well as all who have preordered V-Ray 2.0. All customers with preorders and upgrades will be able to access the BETA and contribute to its final feature list until the official release planned for 6th December.

The new list of key features is now available, you can download it here >>

Greetings,
Chaos Group Team

Post production facility provides VFX, finishing and color grading for iconic ad

New York, NY – Award-winning post production house Company 3 recently completed work on "The Procession" for Converse via ad agency Anomaly NYC for the company’s fall 2010 brand campaign. The commercial, which broke nationally September 26, pays homage to the legends of Converse’s past, present and future, showcasing the iconic Star Chevron mark and giving a nod to the company’s connection to the worlds of sport, music and culture which has helped define the brand for decades.

Gritty and raw, the :60 spot was directed by award-winning filmmaker Antoine Fuqua of Anonymous Content. The ad stars basketball legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving; Carlos Arroyo of the Miami Heat; musicians Jim Jones and Doug E Fresh; legendary ball-handler God Shammgod and Harlem streetball player Adrian "A-Butta" Walton; Converse skaters Kenny Anderson, Sammy Baca, Rune Glifberg and Eli Reed; all set to the thunderous "Hello Operator" by alternative rock band The White Stripes.

Tom McCullough at Company 3 NY provided VFX and compositing for the spot, recreating the celebrated basketball classic with Dr. J with matte paintings, background replacement and crowd duplication. Color grading was performed by colorist Tim Masick, and editing handled by Lucas Eskin from sister company Beast.

"A lot of creativity and effort went into this project," McCullough said. "Although the spot was very labor-intensive, it was exciting to be able to recreate this iconic moment in basketball history, and we’re incredibly pleased with the results."

"Another great Company 3 experience," commented Andrew Loevenguth, Anomaly’s head of production. "There’s a reason we keep coming back to Company 3, and with people like Tom McCullough and Angela Lupo working on our projects, anything is possible and nothing is impossible."

About Company 3
Company 3 is a comprehensive post production facility for features, commercials and music videos. Known for our creative color artistry, pioneering technology and global reach, Company 3 is trusted to deliver a quality product every time.

Company 3’s incredible talent roster includes John Bonta, Sean Coleman, Siggy Ferstl, Billy Gabor, Dave Hussey, Tim Masick, Victor Mulholland, Stephen Nakamura, Mike Pethel, Tom Poole, Rob Sciarratta and Stefan Sonnenfeld. Recent commercial projects are campaigns for Audi, BMW, Heineken, Nike, and others. Recent feature film credits include "Alice in Wonderland," "Robin Hood," "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," "The Hurt Locker," "A Single Man," "Public Enemies" and "Star Trek." Company 3 www.company3.com is an Ascent Media www.ascentmedia.com company.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Wolfe
jwolfe@ascentmedia.com
818-260-6237

I’d like to point any interested parties at the latest work on the Aqsis renderer.

http://blog.aqsis.org/2010/11/intera…-aqsis-20.html

One of the negative points of comparison that has always been that of speed, Aqsis is perceived, often correctly, as being significantly slower than alternative RenderMan compatible renderers. We, specifically Chris Foster, have been working to address that. This post and screencast, constitute the first demonstrable results of this work. While there is some way to go before this work is fully capable and integrated back into the core product, it is clear to see that significant progress has been made in this area.

We welcome all feedback and questions, you can post on the blog, visit our forums (http://community.aqsis.org) or come and speak with us in the #aqsis IRC room on irc.freenode.net (or visit http://chat.aqsis.org).

Cheers

Paul Gregory

Project Lead – Aqsis

November 4-6 , Emily Carr University, Vancouver B.C. – http://www.idmaa.org/idmaa2010/

Anyone interested in the newest ideas of how motion graphics, gaming, non-linear storytelling, social media, transmedia and interactivity are coming together is going to find this 3 days full of stimulating thought. The conference will explore how digital media and art is informing, challenging and reinventing our notions of narrative structures and storytelling and will be attended by an international group of leading academics and professionals interested in digital media in its multiple forms. The conference includes a multimedia art exhibition, networked performances, panels, papers, and 5 exciting keynote speakers, including Kimberly Cooper from Prologue Films, (title design for "Se7en") R Blank of the Rich Media Institute, Gurval Caer CEO of Blast Radius, Amielle Lake CEO of Tagga Media and social media/on-line journalism scholar Alfred Hermida.

As co-sponsor and host of the 8th annual International Digital Media Arts Association conference, called “The Digital Narrative” Emily Carr University has been able to secure a special rate for local industry professionals and educators to encourage participation in this unique event.

This special rate (significant reduction from full cost) is $99./day or $239. for the entire 3 day conference.

http://events.r20.constantcontact.co…&llr=begfsudab

Download the complete schedule PDF

http://www.idmaa.org/idmaa2010/schedule/

Check out the speaker bios: http://www.idmaa.org/idmaa2010/speakers-2/

Master 3D techniques used to create blockbuster Hollywood films

(Los Angeles, CA – October 23, 2010) – VFX Solution LLC, is pleased to announce Advanced Visual Effects Volume 3 from Allan McKay, part of the popular series of training content from the Advanced Visual FX series for Autodesk 3ds Max.

Allan McKay is an award winning VFX Supervisor and the Director of Catastrophic FX, a highly acclaimed studio specializing in visual effects for Hollywood films. Allan created effects for Priest, The Last Airbender, Day Breakers, Superman Returns, Blade Trinity and dozens of others. Allan has held master classes all over the world including a frequent panel and master class speaker at SIGGRAPH each year, also awarded as Autodesk Max Master and tied to dozens of projects that have either received or have been nominated both for Oscar and Emmy awards.

Click here to go to Product page
Click here to view the trailer

The Advanced Visual Effects DVD, which includes over 11 hours of training, focuses on these key features:

1-sprits dripping down soda can
2- vehicles cloaking
3-Krakatoa mapping and Fume displacements
4-Box 2 particle deformations and tearing
5-Creating Krakatoa Dirt Explosions
6-Tornado destroying house
7-Building fracture rigs to tear metal
8-Box 2 birth groups
9-Particle Fracturing Management
10-Magical Effects
11-Creating FX Tools
12-Fracturing and character effects
13-Collapsing Pillars

Pricing and Availability

Advanced VFX 3 is available now from Allan McKay’s website and authorized resellers around the world at an SRP of $99. For a reseller near you, contact sales@catastrophicfx.com. Advanced VFX 3 DVD currently is only available in direct download format, provided as quicktime videos alongside with various user files.Visit the Advanced VFX 3 product page for more information.

About Advanced VFX 3 Developer Catastrophic FX and Allan McKay

Catastrophic FX, founded by Allan McKay, is a complete post production facility, offering 3D Animation, high-end visual effects and compositing for TV commercials, feature films and game cinematics. http://www.catastrophicfx.com/

Allan McKay is a Hollywood veteran with almost two decades of experience working on both feature films and TV commercials for prestigious studios across the globe. http://www.allanmckay.com

If you would like more information about this topic, or would like to schedule an interview with Allan McKay or Catastrophic FX, please call or contact at 818-528-4099 or e-mail Sam at sales@catastrophicfx.com

Purchase Information
Advanced Visual Effects Volume 3 is available to download to day for US $99
To purchase Advanced Visual Effects, and for more information please visit http://www.vfxsolution.com/site/store/html/avfx3/
The online 3 minute trailer can be located at http://vimeo.com/15969872